PHOTOS: Urban Life And History Mix In New York City's Apartments

HouzzWhen looking at the residential architecture of New York, it's necessary to split it into two groups: urban homes and suburban/country homes.

Here we look at the first, which encompasses apartments, lofts, and townhouses. Most of the examples that follow are lofts, because they are such a unique part of New York City's transformation from an industrial to a post-industrial city.

New York is host to a good deal of stunning new architecture, but it also has a strong tradition of preservation that embraces conversions of old buildings into new uses. Dealing with that history inside is one aspect of the interiors in this ideabook.

Use of white space

This residence overlooking Central Park is a sparse white space that is activated by "using ash finished in four different ways." We see at least three uses here: the shelf below the bookcase, the floor, and the door in the distance.

No exposed construction

Even new construction embraces some of the loft's ideas. Openness and large windows are found, but exposed construction is nowhere to be seen, especially because raw concrete does not have the same appeal as exposed wood or steel structure.

Large windows

Triplex

This double-height living space shows something more house-like than apartment-like. The finishes may be minimal and the windows limited to the ends, but vertical living approaches another side of NYC living: the townhouse.